Lake Eyre

G’day one and all

And once again we’re in “Travel Mode”, this time heading out to Lake Eyre in central Australia to view the rare spectacle of there being water in the lake. The last time the lake had a substantial amount of water in it was in 1974 when it was ten metres deep. Besides that event, the lake does flood about once every eight years; the lake has only been 100% full on three previous occasions in the past one hundred fifty years. Lake Ayre is also the driest region in Australia and also the lowest point on the continent at fifteen metres below sea level.

Our planned route for this trip will take us through some pretty desolate country. Leaving home we will track due west one thousand six hundred kilometres to Innamincka located on the edge of the Strzelecki and Sturt Deserts. From Innamincka it will be south west for another five hundred kilometres to Lyndhurst and then north to Marree and Lake Eyre. After we have finished with the Lake Eyre region we head south to the Flinders Ranges.

We left home around 09.00 with both the vehicle and the Bushtracker loaded to the hilt with all those hard to get items not available in outback Australia with our first stop being Charleville eight hundred twenty kilometres west to visit daughter Sondra and our four grandchildren. Around 16.00 with the sun setting in the west we pulled into the Wallumbilla show grounds staying the night. The showgrounds provided all the necessary amenities and facilities all for a donation; there’s no doubt about some of these country communities, they are going out of there way encouraging the travelling public to stay in their towns Leaving the following morning around 06.30 after a rather brisk night with the temperature plummeting to around 0 degree’s, we eventually arrived in Charleville around 10.00.

After unloading all the presents, groceries plus other items that were on Sondra and Andrews shopping list we spent the next two days reacquainting ourselves with the grandchildren plus their new pet, an orphaned lamb named “Tiny” that they acquired on a recent holiday on a sheep station. The lamb now has 5 star accommodation and non stop attention from the Barry children.

After a relatively short stay of two nights in Charleville we departed mid morning Tuesday to continue our westward trek towards Lake Eyre with our first planned overnight stop being in the vicinity of Eromanga three hundred plus kilometres to the west. Our progress west was fairly uneventful however the landscape was becoming desolate with the only point of interest being the numerous oil pumps dotting the countryside. After refuelling at Eromanga beside an oil refinery (how appropriate) we continued on our way eventually locating a suitable camping site beside the tree lined Bellalie Creek sixty kilometres South West of Eromanga.

Following a peaceful night’s sleep we struck out for Innamincka, a further four hundred fifty kilometres further west. Turning off the Cooper Development Road we joined the Adventure Way that would take us to Innamincka. Up till now the road conditions had been fairly good but that all came to an end when we got to the end of the oil fields at Bellera; that’s where the bitumen ended and the fun started.

With our speed restricted quite dramatically we continued towards Innamincka. Just prior to the Queensland/South Australian border we detoured off the main road to view that iconic piece of Australian history, the “Dig Tree” located next to Cooper Creek, which surprising was quite full of water and teaming with bird life. After wandering through the information 'shack' (and that’s all it was), viewing the famous “Dig Tree”, and then examining a nearby tree with a carving of Burke’s face done back in the late 1800’s, we decided to stay the night in the adjacent camp area located on the banks of Cooper Creek and tackle the remainder of the dirt road to Innamincka the following day when we were refreshed.

Our decision to remain overnight at the Dig Tree turned out to be a wise one. After travelling the fourteen kilometres back to the main road we continued onto Innamincka along a newly sealed portion of the road. With only sixty kilometres remaining we were of the opinion that the remainder of our drive into Innamincka would be a breeze; ohhhh how wrong can you be as it took us two and a half hours to reach our destination. The road was horrific being strewn with rocks, heavily corrugated, and frequently covered with sand drifts - it was that bad that at times we left the road and drove parallel to it.

Eventually arriving in the lovely metropolis of Innamincka (population, not too many) we were greeted with a community of approximately six buildings consisting of a pub (naturally), a service station come community store, a ranger station, a mechanical repair facility (that no doubt did a roaring trade), plus a couple of residences, all in all not quite the tourist Mecca we envisaged.

After refuelling (at $1.80 litre), having coffee and cake in the pub of all things (another $29 – geeze), and then taking some photographs of the local panorama we decided that since it was now 13.30 it would probably be a good idea to find a camp site beside the Cooper Creek as any thoughts of tackling the famous (or notorious) Strzelecki track was the furtherest thing on our mind.

After a peaceful night’s sleep we left lovely “down town” Innamincka around 0900 to tackle the Strzelecki desert with a degree of trepidation however were quite surprised at the condition of the track. We sat quite comfortable at about 75 k.p.h. while dodging the odd rock, the occasional pothole filled with bulldust, navigating through sand drifts aplenty, while at the same time trying to pick the track with the least amount of corrugation; all in a days work really……..

That aside the drive through the desert was quite scenic with the track winding its way through a variety of sand hills with sparsely any vegetation. After driving for about one hundred kilometres, the last fifty kilometres of it through endless oil and gas fields we stopped briefly to view the massive Moomba gas and oil processing plant from which the refined products are piped to far away Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide.

On previous trips around Australia we have found that major infrastructure projects in the middle of nowhere generally provide mobile phone services for there staff and just to check the theory turned on our mobile phone – hey presto, full phone and internet reception in the middle of the damned desert.

Three and a half hours later we arrived at Montecollina Bore with its abundance of bird life and judging from the tracks and burrows everywhere, also quite a mecca for rabbits as well. After wandering around the barren landscape taking photographs of this little oasis in the middle of nowhere we decided to remain the night as by now we had had our fill of corrugation and dust, and the next opportunity to overnight anywhere was at least four hours further on.

And you think we’re nuts coming out here to explore the desert regions of Australia? While exploring the surrounds of the bore we stumbled across a guy and his secretive camp site behind one of the sand dunes whom we later learned has been living here for over a month. Now that’s strange.

Following breakfast we hit the road again for Lyndhurst two hundred forty kilometres further on eventually arriving a little after lunch. Our first impression of Lyndhurst (population, a few more than Innamincka) was that it looked like a setting out of a Clint Eastwood movie however we weren’t complaining as we enjoyed our first taste of bitumen roads for some six hundred fifty kilometres.

After refuelling we visited the somewhat eccentric Cornelius “Talc Alf” and his talc carvings; this guy is a local character who we have to say has some very very strange ideas about the formulation of western languages, the reason for place names, political views, and indeed just about everything else that may cross his mind. Albeit his non conventional views on just about anything and everything, we had to admit he was quite a talented sculptor.

Leaving Lyndhurst and rejoining the dirt roads once again we moved on to the ghost town of Farina a mere twenty five kilometres down the road to camp overnight in a well appointed camp ground and were later joined by another Bushtracker. Following a restless night sleep as a result of some wild weather we went and wandered through the ruins of what was once quite a thriving community. In its heyday the town had two pubs, churches, shops, schools, and was serviced by the now defunct old “Ghan” rail line. The town was eventually deserted in 1980 with most of the stone buildings now succumbing to the harsh conditions of the region.

We left Farina and followed the old “Ghan” rail line to our next destination of Marree where we had planned on taking a two hour scenic flight out over Lake Eyre however being the weekend there was an abundance of tourists and the earliest flight we could get was at 15.30. Following a quick discussion we “canned” the idea of a late afternoon flight, booking a late morning flight on the following Tuesday deciding instead to head out to Muloorina homestead, a vast cattle and sheep property that borders Lake Eyre from where we could drive out to the edge of the lake to get a “close up” view.

The camping area at Muloorina is located about halfway between Marree and the lake, and with the exception of possibly the last two kilometres the road conditions were surprisingly very good. After driving for nearly an hour through desolate country side with hardly a sign of any form of vegetation you can imagine our surprise when we arrived at the camping area to discover it was located next to a beautiful oasis teaming with birdlife.

With only one other camper in sight, the decision as to where we were going to park wasn’t all that difficult however later in the afternoon we joined by another couple in their Bushtracker; they turned out to be quite a fun couple.

After settling down within metres of the waters edge, it was off to explore the local environment. By now the amount of water remaining in our on-board tanks was starting to become a concern as we hadn’t been able to replenish our tanks since leaving Charleville. Although we were confident that we still had several days supply remaining we decided to bucket water out of the lagoon and use that to shower with even though the water clarity was somewhat lacking hence conserving our remaining supplies for when we leave here.
Monday morning arrived and so did a cold front during the night which was a welcome relief considering the weather conditions which were bordering on uncomfortably warm. Following breakfast it was off to explore Lake Ayre and hopefully get a glimpse of the water. Leaving the camp grounds a bit after 10.00. we tackled the fifty kilometre drive over a rough bush track that wound its way through some pretty desolate countryside eventually arriving at the North Lake Ayre lookout.

Donning hats, fly nets (this place must be a holiday resort for flies), our backpacks containing water, portable UHF radio, camera and binoculars, we set out on a five kilometre hike across the now dry Level Post Bay where we had been told it was possible to see the receding waters in the distance from the top of the sand dunes on the other side. Eventually arriving on the opposite shore we climbed to the top of the sand dunes and sure enough in the distance was water.

Two hours later we returned to the vehicle totally exhausted after trudging ten kilometres across the soft salt encrusted lake bed. All up the entire exercise took us nearly five hours. Incidentally, Level Post Bay was where Sir Donald Campbell set a world land speed record in 1964 of approximately 403 m.p.h. or 649 k.p.h.

For our overseas friends, to give you an idea of the size of North Lake Eyre it is about the size of Holland and is one of three lakes of this size in the region, the others being Lake Frome and Lake Torrens.

Following another cold night we said goodbye to Norton and his wife Marg and headed back into Marree to catch our scenic flight over the lake. Arriving with time to spare we parked behind the local pub that was providing free caravan and camping accommodation, unhitched the Bushtracker, had a cup of coffee, then headed out to the aerodrome boarding the light aircraft for the two hour scenic flight out over Lake Eyre.

Departing the aerodrome, the aircraft climbed to 4000ft and headed for the lake region whilst at the same time providing the six passengers with a panoramic view of the region. Once over the lake we descended to 1500ft and enjoyed the views before turning for Marree, climbing back to 3500ft and then returning via the Marree Man, a giant mural of a human scoured into the landscape some twelve years ago by a person or persons unknown. Unfortunately time has taken its toll on the "landscaping" and nature is slowly erasing the image.

Eventually landing back at Marree after our flight we returned to the Bushtracker, dumped our gear, then went and explored Marree (not that there was much to explore) including the Lake Eyre Yacht Club, the Afghan quarter of town (the town still has a large Afghan community from days gone bye when camel were the main form of transportation), plus other sights. That night we treated ourselves to a meal in the pub.

Awakening early Wednesday morning to the sound of light rain squalls wasn’t something that brought joy to our ears especially since we were leaving Marree and heading south for Leigh Creek, and travelling on wet outback dirt roads isn’t something that thrills anyone. Needless to say we departed mid morning and before you know it we were having a fun time sliding all over the road in the red soil at the breakneck speed of 25 k.p.h.; I haven’t figured it out yet but for some reason when red soil gets wet it tends to mimic the combined qualities of ice and a baby’s dirty nappy.

After doing a small detour and visiting an ancient aboriginal ochre mine we eventually arrived back at Lyndhurst and bitumen. From there it was a pleasant drive to Leigh Creek where we will remain for the next few days doing the washing, some minor maintenance, restocking, and planning the next leg of our trip which will include the Flinders Ranges.